May 28, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Emma Hunt (USA) during the FIS Climbing World Cup Speed competition at INDUSTRY SLC. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-Imagn Images Jeffrey Swinger-Imagn Images

American Speed Climber Clinches Gold at IFSC Denver World Cup

Originally posted on Outdoors on SI | By Maria Aldrich | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 2:30 PM ET

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Speed World Cup in Denver has come to a spectacular end. However, the competition was marred by uncertainty as adverse weather conditions prevailed—this ultimately necessitated the cancellation of the rest of the event.

Despite the unfavorable conditions, athletes took the setback in stride and made the best of the situation. Qualifications determined the 16 men and 16 women who would participate in the finals, but the event took a different turn.

The third Speed World Cup of the season made Americans proud after 22-year-old Emma Hunt secured the gold medal on her home turf. The results were determined unusually due to the race cancellation, but the competition played out in Hunt's favor.

American Speed Climber Crushes IFSC Denver World Cup Event

As stated by the IFSC, "With no more racing, the standings were decided by the eight winners from the Round of 16 placed on their best time from the event—meaning a time from either qualification or the Round of 16 could count."

With this decision in place, the victory undoubtedly belonged to Hunt, who landed a 6.36, followed by Natalia Kalucka with silver and Lijuan Deng with bronze. This victory marked Hunt's second career gold.

"Good, a little weird, but good. It's weird because I only did three races to get the medal," Hunt told the IFSC. "I would have loved to have done all the races, but that's the weather. It was super cool to have had the chance to do a few laps in front of a home crowd, and I hope we can come back to Denver."

During the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, Hunt took home fifth place in the women's speed event. Outside of the Olympics, she has participated in three World Cup events (2021, 2022, and 2023), each time bringing her one step closer to earning a gold medal. Hunt has continuously demonstrated immense skill on the wall, particularly now that she has secured yet another gold medal.

To watch how the competition played out, visit the official IFSC YouTube channel, where each race can be viewed on demand.

This article first appeared on Outdoors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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